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Informist, Friday, Jul. 24, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – At India's eighth World Trade Organization Trade Policy Review, WTO members raised concerns about New Delhi's abrupt tariff changes, unexpected export restrictions, complex licensing requirements, lengthy investment approvals and regulatory certainty, Chair of the Trade Policy Review body and Ambassador Nella Pepe Tavita-Levy said. 

 

The final session of India's Trade Policy Review concluded Thursday at the WTO in Geneva. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal led India's official delegation at the WTO Trade Policy Review. The review is a key transparency and monitoring mechanism of the WTO through which members' trade and related policies are periodically examined to enhance transparency, promote adherence to WTO rules and facilitate constructive dialogue among members. During the review, India received 1,094 written questions from 44 WTO members. 

 

Tavita-Levy said that many WTO members urged for greater outreach by Indian authorities to trading partners and the private sector on proposed measures before their entry into force. Several members suggested that India reconsider its position on joining existing plurilateral agreements, while some also pointed to some concerns with respect to India's compliance with its obligations under the Information Technology Agreement.

 

The mandate of the Information Technology Agreement is to eliminate and bind customs duties and other duties and charges at zero for around 200 information technology products, ensuring duty-free trade among WTO members. Questions were also raised regarding India's tariff rationalisation, import substitution objectives, public procurement preferences, and support measures for strategic sectors. Some members also referenced frequent recourse to trade remedies, she said. 

 

Many members also encouraged India to re-evaluate its participation in joint initiatives, including the joint statement initiatives on micro, small and medium enterprises and e-commerce, as well as ongoing discussions under the trade and environmental sustainability structured discussions, including those on plastics pollution and fossil fuel subsidies.

 

Some members suggested that India participate in the Multi-party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement, she added. The Multi-party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement is an alternative system for resolving WTO disputes that are appealed by a member in the absence of a functioning and staffed WTO Appellate Body.

 

Issues related to standards, technical regulations, and quality control orders also garnered various questions and statements. Moreover, members sought clarifications on consultation procedures, reasons for delays in conducting factory visits, clear implementation timelines, alignment with international standards, simplified conformity assessment requirements, and more recognition of foreign laboratories and certification bodies, she added. 

 

Members also flagged concerns about India's sanitary and phytosanitary measures, including regarding the availability of underlying risk assessments and related methodologies, food safety standards, pesticide maximum residue limits, and procedures for judging equivalence for sanitary and phytosanitary measures, she said.

 

Members urged for further information on how India's initiatives on digital economy and trade contribute to e-commerce development, financial inclusion, digital payments, trade facilitation, public procurement, micro, small and medium enterprises participation in domestic and international markets, and consumer confidence. They also requested information on India's emerging governance arrangements, regulatory principles, innovation policies and the treatment of artifical intelligence-linked intellectual property and data, she said.

 

On a lighter note, Tavita-Levy said that members encouraged India's film industry to use their territories as a backdrop for its productions.  End

 

Reported by Pratiksha

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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